So, the news that the racing world was dreading is about to become reality in
more senses of the word than one.

Frankie Dettori is set to enter the Celebrity Big Brother house on Thursday evening, having agreed to engage in the often humiliating and always revealing situations that present themselves in the course of the fly-on-the-wall television show. He could be locked away with his housemates for more than three weeks.

Sources close to the jockey indicate that Dettori, 42, will give part of his undisclosed fee for participating in the Channel 5 programme to the Peter O’Sullevan Trust, the Fortune Centre of Riding Therapy and the charity founded by Barney Curley, DAFA (Direct Aid For Africa).

In circumstances in which worthy charities stand to gain, it would be churlish to level criticism at British racing’s best-known jockey for signing up.

But, at the same time, it is fair to ask just what Dettori, currently banned from riding for six months for testing positive to an outlawed substance, believed to be cocaine, really hopes to achieve by appearing on such a show.

This is the programme on which John McCririck shocked the nation with a vivid display of his underpants at bed time. He also stunned the wider public by being eloquent enough to discuss a range of topics, many of which seemed beyond the grasp of some of the contestants.

Whether the mercurial Dettori has the temperament to cope with the 24-hour scrutiny whilst thrown among a collection of B-list celebrities remains to be seen. Yesterday, there were reports that the contestants were being ushered into a London hotel with towels over their heads.

One internet chat room argued that Dettori would be the perfect choice to appear on Celebrity Big Brother. “He ticks the right boxes. He is a personality, he has star power, and he has a back-story. He has been in the news for the wrong reasons, and this is a chance for him to show he is a jolly nice bloke.”

One can only wonder how long it will be before discussion in the house focuses on the jockey’s ban and the reasons behind it. Last night it was long odds-on to be the first topic mentioned.

Possibly, the money was too good to turn down. Perhaps, the jockey was just bored and needed something different to occupy his mind. But this is going to be a different type of test for him. His brilliant career is at a crucial stage, and he needs to emerge from with reputation and image intact. Racing holds its breath.